Innocence Lost
by MissPopuri
Summary: When you lose something you can't replace, Klaus cannot get it back and will never be the same again.


The stillness of the predawn hours unnerved the men who stood guard at the village outpost. Werewolves couldn't get past their defenses if five grown men stood watch while the others slept soundly in their beds. Klaus stood taller than he was comparatively as he braced for the first sign of trouble.

At his shoulder, he could feel his brother, Kol, exhale a deep breath. All of them except Niklaus had gotten at least one kill, this time he wanted to have his own. He looked over at his younger brother for conciliation; the man's eyes were dark even under the brightest full moon.

"We will get to see me kill something tonight," Klaus whispered to Kol, "I can feel it."

Without a word, Kol let out a little chuckle and shoved his brother hard in the shoulder. Feigning mock hurt, Klaus grabbed his arm and pretended to whimper. Horseplay was not encouraged on a night like this, but the two brothers were bored all the same. They heard a twig snap in the distant tree line from their camp.

Startling both of them, Kol lifted up his sword and made for the trees. Klaus followed suit even though it should have been the older brother in front. They lifted up their swords as they braced for the impact of a full-grown werewolf. Two were more than enough to take one down, but wolves always hunted in packs. Klaus walked right up next to Kol, exchanged looks between them said that the wolf should have been here by now.

"Show yourself," Klaus shouted at no one in particular. His voice tried to hide the nerves and anticipation of meeting another wolf.

"That's the spirit, brother," Kol said, mocking Klaus' assertive attitude, "they'll just walk into our trap."

Another twig snapped, both swords swung in the direction of the disturbance. A small shadowy figure came toward them, it wasn't a werewolf at all. It carried a basket in its arms. The hood over the person's face was dark, and when it was removed, it revealed.

"Henrik?"

Both of the brothers said at once, they were too shocked to see their youngest sibling out alone at night to be really angry. Henrik wore the biggest smile on his face when he lifted up his basket and handed it to Niklaus.

His voice illuminated his smile. The little boy said, "I'm glad I found you. I was worried that you would be hungry. Mother made some delicious bread for dinner, and the chicken is lovely," he looked between Kol and Klaus, concern on his face, "were you expecting something else?"

The two older boys exchanged another look with each other. Each brother took an arm of Henrik and pulled him back to the outpost where the others were still standing watch over the other directions. None of them looked too happy to see the child with his basket flanked by his two older siblings. Marched over to the fire in the center of the encampment, Henrik was plopped down on one of the logs.

As young as he was, they couldn't allow him to go back home by himself, the village itself was six miles away. They wouldn't be able to spare men to escort him either.

"Fat load of good bringing food out to us this late," Klaus said finally, "by the time we head back home from the watch, it will be time for breakfast."

He noticed the lip quiver slightly on the child. Klaus lifted his brother's chin up to look him in the eyes, pulled him into a hug, squeezing gently. Henrik's gasp made Klaus turn around. Kol already braced his sword up, glared in the direction Henrik had been looking.

It wandered into the camp. The sly creature had followed the scent of Henrik's basket, and it was prepared to feast. The werewolf's fangs were bared for impact into food—or soft flesh, whichever came into contact with its mouth first.

On impulse, Klaus stepped in front of his youngest brother as he drew his own sword out to meet the creature. A low growl from the werewolf caused the other men surrounding the camp to come into fire light to see the animal face down three brothers. Swords were drawn instantly.

One of the men shouted, "Your brother could have had us killed. What is the matter with him?"

Eyes narrowed, Klaus looked from Kol to the wolf to the men and back, he answered, "Henrik's just a boy. He wasn't aware that food attracted wolves," he held his hand up to keep Henrik behind him, "we'll settle this wolf, won't we, brother?"

With a nod, Kol gave his brother the go-ahead to advance. He said, "You want this kill, Nik, I know you do. It's yours." His insistence prompted Klaus to take action.

Training for this since who knew when, the boys with the help of their comrades circled the wolf in the midst. It snarled at them, but it almost seemed too scared to attack. Maneuvering his sword to strike at the head, Klaus saw the eyes, hesitated. This terrible lapse of judgment, he was ready to kill but those eyes.

Pain.

The cunning creature was sensing his moment. It grinned despite the situation. Shouts from the others came in a jumble, but Kol's voice carried above them all, "What are you waiting for, it's yours."

In another moment, Henrik came out from behind his brother to stare again at the creature. This wolf turned its head to look at the boy, in the next instant, it reached out and bit the child. Henrik's scream howled through the forest where they were camped, Klaus woke out of his trance.

Anger coursed through his veins, he twisted the sword in his hand and stabbed the creature executioner style in the midsection repeatedly. Blood and remnants spewed out of the creature almost as fast as his sword sliced through the wolf, Klaus couldn't stop until his brother finally pulled him off. Something had taken hold of him, the intensity and fervor had gotten to him.

In its place, the figure of a woman appeared where the wolf had been. Dead, blood soaked, her guts spewed out on the dirt ground. The full moon still high in the sky, it made Klaus dizzy. Kol shook him angrily, "Wake up, Nik," he slapped his brother hard in the face, "you need to get Henrik and take him out of here. It's not safe for you."

There was a pain shooting through his body. It was faint, and fading, but the reality that his brother was gone stirred Klaus awake. He grabbed his brother, also bleeding and dead, like the woman and ran. Tears streamed down his face, he didn't know what to do.

For how long the journey was, it would not be enough time to erase the fact that something was gone from his life. The one he thought he had, it was shattered.

His innocence was lost.


End file.
